Golden State Warriors’ unsung hero continuing to buck NBA trend

In a vitally important, nationally-televised game on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics, Kevon Looney produced one of his best performances of the season to help the Golden State Warriors to a dominant 123-107 win.

In a game that largely mirrored what the world had witnessed earlier this year in the NBA Finals, Looney was again a defining presence as the Warriors’ defense strangled Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in the second-half.

Kevon Looney continues to be an underrated and unsung hero as the Golden State Warriors seek to defend their title as reigning NBA champions.

The 26-year-old had seven points, a monster 15 rebounds, three rebounds and two blocked shots in Saturday’s win, once again playing a crucial role despite Klay Thompson (34 points) and Stephen Curry (32 points) grabbing the headlines. Looney had three consecutive game-decisive plays late in the fourth quarter, catching Thompson’s missed jumpshot for a putback, blocking a Marcus Smart shot attempt at the rim on the other end, then finding Draymond Green beautifully for an open layup.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from this sequence was the players on the floor around him. After their center duo of Blake Griffin and Luke Kornet had largely proved ineffective due to drop coverage positioning, the Celtics went small for greater versatility on both ends. In that sequence they had a five-man unit of Derrick White, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Tatum and Grant Williams.

Most NBA bigs, particularly ones you’d consider role players, get played off the floor in that scenario. Yet instead, Looney finds a way to not only survive but thrive and make game-winning plays. In a league that’s continuing to downsize, starting with Golden State themselves nearly a decade ago, Looney has managed to increase his reputation when so many have become surplus to requirements.

The broadcast team noted, as many have in the past, how impressive it is that the Warriors can be effective on offense with two non-shooting threats in Looney and Draymond Green. Most credit Green for his elite passing and playmaking skills, but Looney’s ability to find teammates, set screens and just always be in the right place, is what makes it work — along with having two of the best three-point shooters of all-time in the backcourt.

Looney’s importance continues to be two-fold as his prodigy, James Wiseman, struggled to begin the season and has since been sent to the G League for increased reps. Once an injury prone plodder, Looney is now nearing 130 straight games of availability going back to the start of last season.

His playstyle, predicated on the hard, tough one-percenters and nothing overly flashy, will never be conducive to earning consistent regular season praise from outsiders. But when it comes to the big games, in the postseason and like Saturday night’s contest, Looney’s importance to winning shines and comes to the fore.

He now prepares for a major role in dealing with Bucks superstar and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the Warriors looking to translate the Celtics performance into another big win over Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday.